Can testing machine



July 18, 1944. I c PECK 2,353,758

CAN TESTING M ACHI NE Filed April 1, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l July 18, 1944.

C. F. PECK CAN TESTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1941 4 Sheets$heet 2 1 lllllllillilllill llil llw llfl ll lllllllll July 18, 1944. c PECK 2,353,758

' CAN TESTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

July 18, 1944. F, P c 2,353,758

CAN TESTING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheefa 4 L "1.1 "I: p

INVENTOR.

Patented 1.1. 18, 1944 CAN TESTING MAOHIN E Carl F. Peck, Jersey City, N. J assignor to Amer ican Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 1,1941, Serial No. 386,380

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to container or can testing machines and has particular reference to testing for interior collar bands utilized in certain kindsof cans.

In sheet metal cans used for coffee, vegetable shortening and many kinds of products, the opening of the can is usually eifected by the removal of a tearing strip formed in the can body adjacent its top end. Removal of the tearing strip releases the entire top end of the can so that access to the can interior may be readily had. An interior collar band is provided in cans of this character adjacent the tearing strip to form a seat for the released top end of the can so that the latter may be replaced on the can and thus used as a reclosure cover. The collar band is sometimes made as a separate piece and is usually assembled with the can body and is beaded in place by automatic machinery.

Occasionallythe collar band is inadvertently omitted from a can or is inserted incorrectly and such ak can it run through the lines and filled as other cans, when opened will cause considerable trouble to the purchaser. The instant invention contemplates overcoming this difliculty by providing a testing device which detects cans in which the collar bands are not correctly in place and which discards these cans so that they will not be carried further through lines and will therefore be prevented from being used.

An object therefore of the invention is the provision of a collar can testing device which detects cans in which the interior collar bands have been omitted or have been incorrectly inserted and discards these cans from the line so that they will bebrevented from being used when of such' improper construction.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

ure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a can testing machine embodying the instant invention, with parts broken away and parts shown in section;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 5 5 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

Fig. 6 is a side, elevation of a part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5 and viewed along a plane indicated by the broken line 6-45 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional detail taken substantially along the line 1-1 in Fig. l, with parts broken away;

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram of the electrical apparatus used in the machine; and

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are greatly enlarged sectional views of a portion of the machine showing the collar band end of a can in place, Fig. 9 illustrating the relative position of the machine parts and a can having a correctly inserted collar band, Fig. 10 illustrating the relative position of a can having a collar band incorrectly inserted, and Fig. 11 showing the relative position of a can in which the collar band has been entirely omitted.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate principal parts of a can testing machine of the character disclosed in United States Patent 2,019,517, issued November 5, 1935, to M. E. Widell. In such a machine sheet metal cans A having one end open Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a por-' tion of the machine, with parts broken away;

.carry interior annular collar bands 13 (Fig. 9)

which fit snugly within the can bodies in engagement with their side walls. The upper edge of the collar bands are bent inwardly and downwardly to provide a smooth curled edge C which extends inwardly from the collar band side wall. The lower edge of the collar band is preferably straight, i. e., with a raw edge and adjacent this edge the band normally is expanded outwardly into a bead D formed in the can body to hold the band in proper place. Usually such a body bead is formed at the same time the band edge is expanded.

The cans A roll on their sides into the machine in a continuous procession by way of an inclined runway ll (Fig. 1)... Adjacent the machine end of the runway a rotating star wheel 12 picks 'up individual cans and advances them in timed and horizontal alignment with a testing head unit generally indicated by the numeral II.

There are a plurality of these testing head units l4 and they ar carried on a pair of spaced and parallel rotating wheels l5, l6 (see also Fig. 4) mounted on a shaft journaled in bearings formed in a machine main frame I. The wheels are rotated in any suitable manner such as that disclosed inthe above mentioned patent.

Each testing head unit |4 includes a stationary head 2| (Fig. 4) having a protruding short cylindrical mandre1 22 which is disposed eccentrically with the head 2| and a movable head or clamp pad 23 which is located adjacent the inner end of the mandrel. The stationary head is bolted to the wheelli. The clamp pad is secured to an arm 25 which is keyed to and which slides on a cross shaft 26 having its ends carried in the wheels |5, IS. The arm is shifted on the shaft in any suitable manner operating in time with the other moving parts of the machine.

When an entering. can A is advanced into position to be received in a testing head unit H, the clamp pad 23 of the unit is spaced away from the free end of the mandrel 22 and the can is brought into such a space and into position between the mandrel and the pad, with its open end adjacent the mandrel. The clamp pad then moves in against the closed end of the can and pushes the can longitudinally of its axis and onto the mandrel. This moving of the can into place and the positioning of it on the mandrel is done while the wheels l5, l6 are rotating and while the described parts arebeing carried around the axis of the shaft The mandrel 22 is somewhat smaller than the interior diameter ofthe can inside the curled edge of the collar band so that the can may be readily pushed onto the mandrel. However, the man- *the collar bands is brought about by a detecting device which includes a detector arm 35 (Figs. 1 and 4) which extends into the path of travel of the clamped cans.

The detector arm 35 is mounted on a cross shaft 36 carried in a'bearing 31 secured to the main frame Land in a bearing 38 fastened to a bracket39 which is bolted to the frame. The shaft carries a lever arm 42 which is retained under tension of a spring 43, this spring having one end hooked into the arm and having its opposite end attached to a pin 44 secured in the machine frame.

4 The outer end of the lever arm carries an ad- 46 which is in alignment with 41 of a normally open electric justable setscrew a movable element switch 48.

The tension spring 43 keeps the detector arm in the path of the outside surfaces of the cans A moving past with the rotating wheels l5, IS. The cans in the wheels are spaced close together and the detector arm is sufllciently long so that when a procession of good cans, concentrically located on the testing heads l4 by the properly located collar bands within them, pass by the detector arm, the latter is maintained in a practically stationary condition,

However, when a bad can which is eccentricallylocated on its testing head because of a lack of drel adjacent its base is provided with a small block or shoe 3| (see also Figs. 9, 10 and'll) having an inwardly inclined surface 32. The outer suriace' of the shoe is thus outside of the mandre While a can A having a correctly inserted collar band B, as shown in Fig. 9, is being pushed onto the mandrel and before it is clamped in position against the head 2| by the clamp pad 23, the curled edge C of the collar band rides upon the shoe 3|. The outer surface of th shoe proiects beyond the mandrel surface a distance sufficient to shift the can laterally of the mandrel into a position concentric with the head 2|. This j action effects a snug fit of the can on the mandrel. After the can is thus centered on the head 2| the clamp pad holds it tightly in this position. If thecollarband B is in a reverse position in its can A its curled edge C is not in a correct position. This is shown in Fig. 10 and it will be observed that the ciirled edge C does not ride up on.

the shoe 3| and hencethe can is not centered on the head 2 I. This oil-center or eccentric position of the can with its incorrectly placed collar .is utilized to client the discard of the can in a manner which will be hereinafter explained.

In a similar manner a can A which has no collar band at all, as shown in Fig. 11, also remains in an eccentric position relative to the testing head 2| and such a can is also discarded from the machine. Thus far in this description the cans have just been placed on the mandrel. Their collar band condition has not been determined.

lAll cans after being clamped in place On the testing heads 2| are carried around through a curved path of travel with the wheels l5, It as they rotate on the axis of the shaft II. It is during this travel .of the cans for their collar band condition. This testing for that they are tested i vlever cam is collar band or an incorrectly located collar band. approaches the detector arm 35, the outer surface of the wall of the bad can does not extend out as far as the good cans and hence the detector arm is allowed to moveinwardly to engage it asit passes. This movement of the detector arm allows the cross shaft 36 and the lever arm 42 carried thereon to rock as the spring 43 contracts and this closes the electric switch 48. Closing of the switch sets in motion a time delay mechanism generally indicated by the numeral 5| (Fig. 1) and this mechanism .controls the discharge of the bad can at the proper time by way of a discharge device 52.

The time delay mechanism 5| includes a normally yieldable lever cam 55 (Figs. 5 and 6) which is mounted on a pivot pin 55 carried in lugs 51 formed on a dependin bracket 58 secured to a frame extension 59 of the main frame It. The Y disposed at an angle to the bracket so that it extends substantially parallel to the periphery of the wheel l5. A compression spring 52 is interposed between the lever cam and the bracket to force the free end of the cam inwardly toward the wheel. VA lug 63 formed on the lower end of the lever cam carries. an adjustable setscrew 64 which is set to limit the inward travel of the cam.

In its normal inner position, the lever cam 55 is in the path of travel of a; plurality of delay buttons 51 (Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 7) which are carried in the wheel l5. There is one of these buttons for each testing head unit H. The buttons are formed on the outer ends of long stems 68 which slide in bores 59 in the outer ends of the cross shafts 25. The stems are prevented from rotating by a setscrew II which is threadedly engaged in the shaft and which extends into a groove" 'formed in the stem.

the latter corresponding to this bad can is itself pushed inwardly toward the wheel. This will be further described.

The locking of the lever cam is preferably brought about by a vertically. disposed locking pawl 15 (Figs. and 6) which is mounted on a pivot pin 16 carried in the bracket 58. The upper end of the-pawl is located adjacent a locking lug 11 formed on the outer surface of the lever cam 55 and adjacent a locking lug 18 disposed on the inner surface of the bracket 58. This upper end of the pawl is maintained under pressure of a end of the pawl and which is secured to a block 82 formed on the bracket 58. The pawl adjacent its pivot pin 15 is connected with a movable core element 85. of a normally energized electric sole- The energized solenoid 85 normally keeps the locking pawl 15 away from the locking lugs 11,

18 holding it from between the lugs and against When the pawl is in this normal position the lever cam 55 the pressure of the flat spring M.

is free to move.

-When a bad can is detected and the electric switch 48 is closed as a result of its detection as already mentioned, the solenoid 86 is immediately deenergized and the flat spring N thereupon forces the pawl into a position interposed between the locking lugs 11, 18. The pawl is of suiiicient thickness to occupy the normal space between the lugs and thereby prevents the lever cam from moving back. The lever cam is thus locked against movement and it is this locking that pushes in the delay button 61 as hereinbefore mentioned. This pushed-in delay button is rocking of the gate is brought about by a pushedlIl :flat spring 8| which engages against the free I noid 85 connecting with the detector switch 40. V

utilized to discharge the bad can into the proper outlet of the discharge device 52 when the can reaches this latter device, as will now be explained.

The discharge device 52 is located adjacent the can entrance runway II and is preferably of the character disclosed in the above mentioned Widell patent. Such a discharge device includes a casing 91 which encloses an upper or good can outlet or runway 82 and a lower or bad can out-j let or runway .98. The good can outlet may empty into a continuing chute or runway to carry the .good cans toany suitable place of deposit while the bad can outletmay empty into a basket or other container adapted to receive the bad cans.

Adjacent the entrance end of the discharge device 52, there isa movable gate .85 mounted on a pivot shaft 88 carried in bearings formed in the casing M. This gate is adapted to be raised and lowered in accordance with the detection of good and bad cans to direct them into.

the proper discharge outlet. When good cans are detected the gate is rocked into the position shown in Fig. 2 and the gate thus forms a part discharge device is of this character. Hence the gate is only occasionally rocked into its raised position as when a bad can is detected. This in delay button 81.

When such a pushed-in button 61 comes ad- I iacent the discharge-device it engages against and rocks a bell crank lever III (Fig. 1) mounted on a pivot pin I02 carried in the'frame extension 58. The bell crank lever is connected by a link Ill (see also Figs. 5 and 6) to a lever Ill mounted-on a short shaft I06 carried in a bearing I01 formedin the bracket 58. Beyond the bearing theshaft carries a switch arm I08 of a nor mally closed contact switch I09.

Hence when a pushed-in button 61 rocks the bell crank III, the link I04, lever I05, shaft I08, and contact arm I08 are also rocked and this opens the switch I 08. Normally positioned buttons for good cans escape the bell crank IOI as they pass by and hence the switch remains closed for these good cans.

The contact switch I08 controls the operation of a normally energized solenoid II2 (Fig. 3) and the opening of the switch de-energizes the solenoid. The solenoid in turn controls the operation of the gate in the discharge device 52 in the manner disclosed in the above mentioned Widell patent. Briefly, this mechanism includes a depending gate arm H3 which is loosely mounted on an outer end of the gate shaft 88 and which is connected to a continuously reciprocating stroke bar I I4 operated in a suitable manner, as in the Widell patent. The stroke bar makes one stroke for every can A as it approaches the discharge device.

Adjacent the gate arm II3 the gate shaft '88 carries a latch arm III; which is fixed on the 1 shaft and which is disposed in an upright position. The arm carries a short pivot shaft I I1 on one end at which is mounted a pawl H8. The pawl hangs down adjacent a tooth I18 formed on the hub of the gate arm I I3. The pawl is maintained under control of a tension spring I2I having one end connected to the pawl and its opposite end secured to the latch arm.

The pivot shaft II1 also carries a dependin actuating arm I 24 which terminates adjacent the outer end of the gate shaft 86 and which carries a pin I25 located substantially in alignment with the axis of the gate shaft. The pin operates in a slot I 28 formed in a horizontal link I21 pivotally connected to a movable-core I28 in the electric solenoid 2.

Hence as long as the solenoid I I2 is maintained energized, as when good cans are passing through the machine,- the core I28 holds the link I21 in a position in which the pin I25 of the actuating arm I 24 is in an off-center relation to the axis of the gate shaft 86 as shown in Fig. 3. In this position of the pin I25 the pawl II 8 is held away from the tooth II9 on the gate arm II3.

Hence as the gate arm swings back and forth with the reciprocating stroke bar III, the arm rocks on the gate shaft while the shaft and the gate 85 secured thereto remains idle in the position shown in Fig. 2. I

- When the solenoid H2 is de-energized by the detection of a bad can, the core I28 moves outwardly under the resistance of a compression spring I8I housed in the solenoid. This shifts the link I21 toward the left as viewed in Fig. 3 and hence the pawl spring I2I rocks the actuating arm and also rocks the pawl II8 into engagement with the hub of the gate arm II3. Thus on the next stroke of the stroke bar II4 the tooth II8 on the gate arm engages against the pawl and this rocks the gate arm and the latch arm IIG erator outlet wire I42.

gate shaft '6 and thus raises the gate ll into the position shown in Fig. 1 to permit the bad can to be discharged into the lower ninway I of the discharge device 52, as hereinbefore explained. The/ solenoid is immediately re-energized after the discharge of the bad can so that it will be in readiness for the nextfollowing can. in the tester wheels. 1

As the empty testing head unit ll from which a can A has just been discharged approaches the new can entrance runway, the delay button 01 is re-set in case this pin has been pushed in as for a bad can as just explained. This re-setting is' preferably eiIected by a stationary cam block I35 (Figs. land 7). The cam blocli is located adjacent the path of travel of the buttons 61 and is'carried on a bracket I which is bolted to the frame extension 59. One side of the cam block is formed with a tapered cam surface I and this surface is engaged by the pushed-in buttons as they move past the block. The tapered cam surface draws the buttons outwardly into their original position in readiness for the next detecting operation. This completes the collar band testing cycle of the machine.

The electric connections in the detecting device will now be explained and reference should be had to the wiring diagram in Fig. 8. In this diagram the various switches and solenoids are 39 interconnecte in a plurality'of electric circuits whichinclude a detector circuit X, a delay circuit Y, and a discharge circuit Z. These circuits transmit electric energy from any suitable source of power such as a generator Ill which is provided with a main outlet wire I42 and a return wire I.

The detector circuit it includes the which is first closed by the detection can as hereinbefore explained. One terminal this switch is connected by a wire I to the gen- The other terminal is connected by a wire I to a solenoid I" of a normally closed relay switch I. The solenoid is also connected by a wire I to the generator switch I.

' return wire I.

Hence when the normally open detector switch 48 is closed electric energy fiows through the detector circuit and thus energizes the relay solenoid I". This-opens the relay switch I.

The relay switch I forms a part of the delay circuit Y which also includesthe normally ener-.- gized delay solenoid It. In this circuit one end of the delay solenoid l! is connected by a wire II! to the generator outlet wire III while the other end of the solenoid is connected by a wire II! to the reiayswitch I. This switch is also connected by a wire-I54 to the generator return wire I.

button ll, as hereinbefore explained, the circuit is broken and the solenoid H2 becomes de-energized. It is this de-energizing of the solenoid that opens the discharge gate 95 and thus directs the released bad can into the bad can runway of the discharge device II.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope oi the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. In a machine for testing containers for internal collar bands, the combination or a support head, a mandrel eccentrically disposed on said head for supporting a container to be tested, a tapered shoe on said mandrel and engageable with a properly fitted collar band in a container positioned on the'mandrel for holding said conor a container on said support for detecting ec-' centrically positioned containers as containers having improperly fitted collar bands andcontainers having no collar bands at all.

2. In a machine for testing containers for internal collar bands, the combination of a rotatable wheel, a plurality of spaced supports on said wheel for conveyingcontainers to be tested along a predetermined curved path of travel, means on said supports for holding containers with properly fitted collar bands in a position difierent irom that of containers with improperly fitted collar bands, a detector arm pivotally mounted of a bad adjacent the path of of co engageable with the outside of the containers as Hence when the relay switch ill opens, the o delay circuit is broken and the normally enere. gized delay solenoid It becomes de-energized. It

. will be recalled that the de-energization of this solenoid locks the lever cam ii and thereby pushes in a delay button 81 The discharge circuit Z includes the, normally closed switch ll! and the normally energised solenoid ill. I The switch is connected by a-wire Ill to the generator outlet wirev N2 and by a wire I" to the.s0len0ld.-

wire I.

Hence electric energy from the generator I normally fiows through this circuit, but when the switch tomarkabadcan. 5

The solenoid is also 7 connected by a wire ill to the generator return I" is opened by a pushed-in delay is travel of the containers and .they move past it, said arm being movable by a container having an band, discharge. devices for separating the detected containers from the others,'and electric instrumentalities operable by said detector arm for actuating said discharge devices.

3. In a machine for testing containers for internal collar bands, the combination of a rotatable wheel, a plurality of spaced supports on said wheel for conveying containers to be tested alonga predetermined curved path of travel, means on said supports for holding containers with properly fitted collar bands in a position difierent from. that of containers with improperly fitted collar hands, a detector arm pivotally mounted adjacent the path of travel of the containers and engageable with the outside oi the containers as they move past it, said arm being movable by a container having an improperly fitted collar band, discharge devices for separat- 1118 the detected containers from the others and for directing them to a place of ,deposit, time delay mechanism for actuating said discharge devices when the detected container comes adjacent them, and lnstrumentalities operable by said detector arm for setting said time delay mechanism.v

a 4. In a machine for testing containers. for intrnal collar bands, the combination of a rotatable wheel, a plurality of spaced supports on said wheel for conveying containers to be tested along a predetermined curved path of travel, means on said supports for holding containers withproperly fitted collar bands in a position diflerent from that of containers with improperly fitted improperly fitted collar 6. In a machine for testing containers for internal collar bands, the combination of a support for said containers, means on saidsupport tected containers from the others and for directsaid detector arm for setting said delay button when a container having an improperly fitted collar band is detected, and means for resetting said for internally engaging and holding a container to be tested, means carried by said holding means and engageable with a container to be tested to shift laterally relative to said support a container having a properly fitted collar band, means engageable against the exterior side wall of a supdelay button into its original position after a detected container has been discharged.

5. In a machine for testing containers for internal collar bands, the combination of a support for said containers; means on saidsupport ing a properly fitted collar band, and means engageable against the exterior side wall of a supported container for detecting containers having improperly fitted collar bands in accordance with the relative position of said containers laterally of said support. I

ported container for detecting containers having improperly fitted collar bands in accordance with the relative position of such containers laterally of said support, and discharge devices operable by said detecting means'for separating the detectedcontainers from the remaining laterally shifted containers and for discharging the former from the machine. a

7. In a. machine for testing containers for internal collar bands, the combination of a support for said containers, means on said support for engaging and holding'a container to be tested. means cooperating with said holding means and engageable with a container to be tested to shift laterally relative to said support a container having a collar band in one position therein, and means engageable against the exterior side wall of a supported container for detecting containers having collar bands in another position therein.

CARL F. PECK. 

